A 15-year-old boy who was out canvassing for Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock’s re-election was shot in the leg, according to police in Savannah.
The teen was canvassing ahead of the incumbent senator’s run-off campaign on 6 December when Jimmy Paiz, 42, allegedly shot him through a door on Thursday.
“According to the preliminary investigation, the teen was campaigning for Raphael Warnock for the upcoming run-off election when the incident occurred,” police said in a release. “While at the front door of one of the residences on Hartridge Street, the suspect fired a shot through the closed door, striking the teen,”
The teen was taken to a hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries, police said. Mr Paiz was arrested shortly after the incident.
"At this point there is no indication the shooting was politically motivated," the Savannah police said in a statement.
Mr Warnock’s office issued a statement to NBC News following the shooting.
“I am saddened to learn about this incident,” Mr Warnock said. “I am praying for the victim and their family and wish them a full recovery.”
Mr Paiz was booked into the Chatham County jail and has been charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery, according to police.
The Daily Beast found a personal website and social media accounts that match Mr Paiz’s name and description. Those pages suggest he is a Marine veteran and a Honduran-American writer.
Mr Warnock will face Republican challenger Hershel Walker in a run-off election later this month. Neither men were able to secure more than 50 per cent of the state’s votes in the November election, triggering the run-off.
Jason Shepherd, the former chairman of the Cobb County Republican Party, told The New York Times that the party may have needed “a bit more time” to campaign for Mr Walker ahead of the run-offs. The paper noted that Mr Walker did not campaign over the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
“We almost need a little bit more time for Herschel’s campaign to get everything off the ground,” Mr Shepherd told The Times. “I think we’re behind the eight ball on this one.”
